Giants run over Ravens 30-10
The Ravens were allowing just 65 rushing yards a game coming into today, tops in the NFL.
The Giants more than tripled that number.
New York put up 207 yards on the ground, jumped out to a 20-0 lead, and Aaron Ross' pick-6 sealed a 30-10 win for the now 9-1 Giants.
The highly anticipated matchup of the Giants' top-ranked rushing offense against the Ravens' top-ranked rushing defense was dominated by New York's "Earth, Wind and Fire" rushing attack.
Ahmad Bradshaw had 96 yards on just nine carries, Brandon Jacobs rushed for 73 yards and two touchdowns despite playing for barely over a quarter, and Derrick Ward chipped in with 41 yards of his own.
"They're very physical," head coach John Harbaugh said, "but I'm not going to stand up here and say they out-physicalled us. We aren't going to concede that. We just need to do a better job on the big plays."
The Ravens planned on having a similar type of running attack, but the G-Men held Willis McGahee, Ray Rice, and Le'Ron McClain in check, and quarterback Joe Flacco ended up being Baltimore's leading rusher.
The 6'4, 264 pound Jacobs picked up over 6.5 yards per carry for New York. He had two early scores (one coming after a blocked Matt Stover field goal) and Eli Manning's 1-yard touchdown pass to Darcy Johnson gave the Giants touchdowns on their first three possessions. The Ravens were left dazed, and couldn't seem to find a way to slow down the Giants' offense.
New York controlled the time of possession in the first half, holding the ball for nearly 18 minutes, and went into the break with a 20-3 lead.
Flacco got the Ravens back in it with a 79-yard drive early in the third quarter, capped by a 10-yard TD pass to Le'Ron McClain. The touchdown cut the Giants' lead to 10, and after the defense forced a New York punt, Flacco had the ball right back.
The rookie QB had the offense driving, but all the momentum was zapped from the Baltimore sideline when his pass went thorugh the hands of Derrick Mason, bounced off his helmet, and Ross picked it off. He went 50 yards back the other way for a touchdown, and the Giants had a 17-point lead yet again.
"It was just unfortunate," Flacco said of the interception. "Tipped balls don't hit the ground in this league. If the ball goes in the air, you've got a lot of guys on the defensive side of the ball that know how to get to it."
New York salted it away in the fourth quarter, dropping the Ravens to 6-4.
After throwing six touchdowns and no interceptions the last four games, Flacco came back down to earth today, going 20-of-33 for 164 yards, the TD and two INTs. He also picked up 57 yards on the ground, more than Baltimore's three running backs combined. Flacco didn't play poorly, but against a team like the Giants, he had to have a perfect game.
Mason gutted it out, playing after dislocating his shoulder last week against the Texans, and he brought in seven receptions for a team-high 82 yards.
The Ravens will now head back home for a battle against the Eagles next Sunday.
"All 16 Sundays you're not going to play your best," cornerback Samari Rolle said. "Today was a game we needed to prove ourselves and we didn't do it.
"We've just got to go back to the drawing board. I don't think anybody expected us to be 6-4. Realistically, we expected our record to be better than it is right now, but we've got a chance to close out strong and make the playoffs. We've just got to make the most of it."
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